The Little Dragon and The Water Tribe Peasant
by mynameisella
Summary: Ryuu is the youngest Fire Nation princess. She's run away from her royal life and made friends with the Gaang. Now, she must keep her true identity a secret, even though she's falling for the, in her brother's words, "Water Tribe peasant". Sokka/OC Side Zuko/OC
1. Prologue

Prologue

I fell on my butt, the fire disappearing above me. I pouted, discouraged at my lack of natural talent at firebending. Zuko always caught on fast. Azula was a natural.

I sucked.

"That was much better," Uncle Iroh told me kindly, helping me back to my feet. I smiled at his attempt to cheer me up. He patted my back. "Would you like to try one more time?"

"Yea," I replied, pulling my hair back up into its half ponytail. My long, black hair reached the small of my back, my side bangs reached my chin.

Concentrating really hard, I jumped in the air, kicked my leg to the side, and felt the fire leave my foot.

Too bad my foot got caught on the hem of my dress, effectively burning a huge chunk of my dress. Tears welled up in my amber eyes. I always screwed up.

Uncle Iroh began laughing heartily, holding his belly as he chortled away. I grew slightly offended at his laughing at my screw up. I scowled, fingering the singed fabric. I knew Father would be angry that I ruined such an expensive dress.

"Only you, Ryuu." He sighed happily, "only you." He pulled me from the ground, stronger than you'd think. "Come on, let's get you a new dress before your father notices." Not that he would, but I didn't want to take any chances.

If you haven't caught on yet, I'm one of the princesses of the Fire Nation. I'm the youngest child of Fire Lord Ozai and Fire Lady Ursa. Iroh is my uncle, Zuko my brother, and Azula my sister.

Quite frankly, it sucks being the youngest in a royal family. There's never been any chance in the world that I would get the throne. Zuko is first in line, Azula second, and me third.

Anyway, Uncle Iroh led me to my bedroom to get changed before we went out to purchase a new dress. My bedroom, an assortment of reds and golds, was large and grand. I laid my change of clothes on my four poster bed as I undressed. I redressed quickly, not wanting to keep my uncle waiting.

I left my room with the charred remains of my dress bundled in my arms. Uncle took them from me, giving it to a maid with the instructions to throw them out. We walked, chatting lightly as we left the palace.

Normally, a servant would go buy me a new dress, but Uncle liked to go out to town. I did, too, as I often got to see my best friend, Auri. Her father was a general, so she was well off, but she spent her time out in the town on the more expensive side of the Fire Nation. Which meant the side with the palace.

Uncle Iroh let me wander off on my own while he browsed the shops. I walked to my favorite dress shop, the _Dragon's Home_. Kya, the salesgirl, spotted me and was at my side in an instant.

"Princess Ryuu!" She purred. She always kissed up to me. Most people did. It really bugged me; I wanted to be treated normally, unlike my siblings. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I smiled up at her.

"Just need a new dress." I replied, looking at some of the options. Kya jumped at the chance to assist me and began showing me different designs. Soon enough, I found one I liked. Being royalty, Kya put it on a tab and put the dress in a bag for me.

Disappointed I hadn't run into Auri, I headed over to the tea shop to find my uncle. As I expected, he was in there purchasing a bag that was full to the brim with tea bags. He joked with the cashier for a moment before heading for the door. He saw me.

"Ryuu! All set now?" He asked. I nodded, smiling as we headed back to the palace.

"There you two are!" Azula cried, storming over to us as soon as we came inside. "Where have you been? Zuko's Agni Kai is about to begin!" I blanched. I had completely forgotten that his Agni Kai was today! I shoved mine and Uncle Iroh's bags into a servant's arms and let Azula drag me to the dueling area. The three of us took seats in the front row. A knot in my stomach grew as I saw my older brother, who was only thirteen, up on that stage. He caught my eye and I tried to smile reassuringly. He struggled to smile back, but it turned into something like a grimace.

I looked over to Azula, who looked much too happy about this taking place. I looked back to Zuko when a voice announced that the duel was starting. A light shone on Zuko and another lit on Zuko's opponent.

Father.

My hands flew to my lips to hide my gasp. Zuko was fighting Father. I turned to Azula, expecting her to be horrified, as well, to find her smirking and looking even happier.

Zuko looked just as shocked as I was. He looked like he couldn't believe his eyes as father stood before him.

Father began talking about how Zuko needed to learn respect and pain would be his teacher..

I closed my eyes when Father pulled back his fist.


	2. Running Away

Running Away

Three years later, almost to the exact day, Auri and I were relaxing in of of the palace's beautiful gardens. That was when we heard the news.

"The Avatar has been spotted on Kyoshi Island?"

Auri stopped, in mid sentence, when we heard a solider speak from the doorway to the garden near where we were sitting. A soft breeze swept through the garden, rustling the grass around us. Simultaneously, we turned to face the doorway, listening for more information.

"Yes," a female servant answered. "They say that Prince Zuko is hot on his trail." She didn't sound happy about this.

I was happy to hear it, though. I had missed Zuko and Uncle Iroh terribly ever since Zuko had been banished.

"Apparently," the female went on, "Fire Lord Ozai is sending General Zhao to capture the Avatar before Prince Zuko has the chance." My hands met my lips and Auri gasped.

The two walked away, leaving Auri and me alone once more. Auri's gray eyes found my amber ones. She looked sympathetic, especially when tears filled my eyes.

How could Father be so cruel? How could he try so hard to ruin every chance Zuko had to come home?

Auri patted my back as I cried softly into my hands. My ears were short lived, though, as a plan formed in my head. I wiped my eyes on my kimono sleeve, sniffling daintily.

"It'll be okay, Ryuu. Zuko's smarter than Zhao. Way, way smarter." Auri turned her head away, muttering, "I swear, if he wasn't the Fire Lord..."

I almost voiced the plan that I was coming up with, but didn't want to tell Auri about it until I was sure I wanted to go through with it.

"Ryuu," Azula's cold voice stopped me from potentially saying anything. "Father wants us at the war meeting. It's starting _now_." I jumped up, turning to Auri. Auri's olive toned face was one of pure admiration. Azula had always been Auri's idol. I didn't get why; I guess she never saw Azula's crazy, cruel side, like everyone else had.

"Ryuu! Now!" Azula snapped. Squeaking quietly, I waved to Auri and scurried after my older sister.

LINE

Azula and I entered the war room quickly and quietly. We took our seats, Azula on the right of Father and me on the left. He cast us sidelong glances, looking annoyed with us. Or just me.

"Now that we can start this meeting, as everyone is now _present_," Father began pointedly, glaring at me once more. I shriveled slightly under his stare. He looked away, gesturing to an Admiral, who stood up and began his clearly rehearsed speech.

I sat in silent, utter horror as the Admiral, whose name I couldn't remember, went on about his plan to obliterate all of the Southern Water Tribe before heading to the North Pole. Apparently, they could still be a threat even though the last waterbender born in the South Pole was killed years ago.

I was fourteen and this was my first ever war meeting. I could feel everything I loved about the Fire Nation shattering around me, pieces scattered everywhere.

How could anyone in the world be so heartless? So cruel? Killing innocent people just because "they could turn into or produce threats"?

Everything I knew about my nation crumbled where I sat.

Suddenly, I was sure about what I wanted to do.

I needed to find Auri.

LINE

"You want to run away?" Auri repeated in utter disbelief. I nodded seriously and firmly. Auri shook her head, her wavy hair flying. "No. No. No!"

"Auri-"

"Ryuu! Do you hear yourself? Have you thought this through at all?" She demanded, gray eyes flashing.

"Auri," I countered. "Why are you so against this? You hate everything about this war! Besides, it's not like I'm asking you to come with me!"

Auri sighed and slumped, her already incredibly short height shrinking.

"Ryuu, you're a princess." She stated plainly.

Duh. "Um, yea, I know."

She sighed again and went on, speaking gently, "You're a princess. You don't understand anything about money or living on your own. Hell, you can barely firebend!" She gave me a look, asking if I understood what she was saying.

I bristled at the firebending comment. That was still a touchy subject.

I stood up. "Well, I can see your mind won't be changed. You won't support me. Fine. I'm going to pack my things." I didn't need to keep quiet. I knew she would; it was a best friend thing.

LINE

Not nearly hard enough, I kicked the wooden boat once more. No luck; it wouldn't budge from the dock.

A foot from behind me gave a swift kick, setting the small boat free. I turned to see Auri behind me, two bags slung over her shoulder.

"Let's get going."


	3. And Then The Moon Disappeared

And Then The Moon Disappeared

It was Auri's turn to row. My arms were burning from the all rowing through the thick water. I leaned back as the boat picked up speed (Auri was better at rowing than I was), wondering if people had noticed we were gone yet. I figured that they had. Had they realized we weren't coming back?

I still couldn't believe Auri had run away, too. I didn't deserve such a good friend.

The moon was shining high above us when Auri broke the comfortable silence.

"I think we're getting close to the Earth Kingdom. We should change." I looked at her, puzzled. "You did bring clothes that weren't Fire Nation, didn't you?"

My usually pale cheeks flushed rose. It was obvious now that I should have.

"Oops." Auri looked exasperated. She sighed, continuing to row.

"You're lucky we're the same size," she muttered. I smiled sheepishly.

"I brought money," I offered, trying to seem somewhat helpful in my own runaway plot. She rolled her eyes.

That was when the moon disappeared.

"What the-?" Auri cried when it went pitch black all around us. At the same time, we both produced small flames in the palms of our hands. Mine, predictably, flickered after a moment and burnt out. I groaned at my lack of the ability to even keep a small flame lit.

Using Auri's flame as our only source of light, we both squinted as we tried to figure out what was blocking the moon's rays. To me, it looked like some sort of large, flying animal.

"Is that-" My question was cut off by both my not having a name to call the animal and by the animal descending from the sky.

Auri extinguished her flame hurriedly, a little bit of smoke wafting from her palm still. We shared a concerned look. I couldn't get my mind off the fact that we were still wearing Fire Nation clothes. What if the animal had Earth Kingdom riders and attacked us because we were Fire Nation? (I didn't think about how the shore was still a ways away and there was no earth for them to bend.)

Auri read my mind. She tossed an emerald cloak over my shoulders and a forest green cloak over her own. We fastened the cloaks quickly. Well, I did; I had some nimble fingers. Auri was trying to button hers too quickly and was fumbling, so I leaned over an slid the silver button through the small slit. After that, I spread my cloak out the best I could to hide any red or Fire Nation insignias. Auri pulled the hood over her wavy, black hair, making sure to tuck it all inside the cloak. She pointed to the air above her head, giving me a meaningful look. My hand felt my half ponytail, finding my royal Fire Nation crown still tucked into it. I pulled the small rod out and slid the crown swiftly from the ponytail. I tucked it into one of my leather bags.

By then, the giant animal was almost next to us. I could see that there were three people astride the animal, which I now noted was some sort of bison. It couldn't be a flying bison, could it?

Tentatively, I waved to the people. The dark light made it hard for me to discern what nation they were from. All three of them waved back.

"hey!" One of the people, a young boy by the sound of his voice, called to us. "Do you guys need help?"

"Um-" I started, looking at Auri for some idea of what to say. The enormous animal's legs- six of them- were now in the water as it swam over to our dingy.

By now, they were close enough for me to see them better. There were two boys and a girl. The older boy and the girl both had darker skin, brown hair, and wore clothes that Uncle Iroh had taught me were from thee Water Tribe. The younger boy, the one who had called out to us, was bald and wore strange clothing that I couldn't place. His bare head had a large arrow tattooed on it.

"Hi!" The young boy said cheerfully, waving once more to us.

"Why are you guys in a boat in the middle of the ocean?" The older boy asked somewhat rudely. He had his tan arms crossed defensively.

Uncle Iroh had taught me many things over my fourteen years of life. He taught me the little firebending I knew, he taught me about different types of tea, he taught me about the other nations, and more. One of the many things he taught me was how to read people. I could tell that this guy was nervous around us. He was afraid we were his enemy. Which, going my nation, we technically were.

"Why are _you _guys riding on a flying hippo?" Auri demanded sassily, glaring at the boy in blue.

"He's a flying bison!" The boy bit back. He matched Auri's glare with his own glower. His blue eyes shone in the moonlight.

"He's Appa, my pet flying bison!" The younger boy chimed in, petting "Appa's" large, furry, arrow-adorned head. Appa let out a loud growl. "He says hi!"

I smiled, reaching out to pet the bison. Her fur was quite soft. "Hi," I murmured.

"Ryuu!" Auri hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling it back. "It could bite your hand off!" I giggled, knowing she was over reacting. Flying bison were vegetarians.

"No, he won't!" The girl spoke up. "Appa only eats plants." Auri huffed when I pet Appa once more.

"So, you guys need a ride somewhere?" The younger boy offered. I nodded.

"Yea, that would be great!" I accepted. I went for my bags when Auri grabbed my arms again to stop me.

"Ryuu, we can't let them take us!" Auri told me. I shook me head.

"They seem like nice people!" I insisted quietly.

"Ryuu, we're runaways from the Fire Nation! You're a freaking princess! They would be killed if your father found out they helped us at all!" She whispered urgently in my ear. My stomach dropped. I hadn't considered that.

"Oh..." I turned to them. "No, thank you. I'm sorry." I bowed slightly; it was a little awkward as I was sitting.

"Oh, okay then." The younger boy sounded disappointed. The girl sat down on the the bison's back, while the Water Tribe boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"We can't even just give you a ride to the mainland?" He asked softly. I smiled, knowing he had determined we were good people. He wouldn't have offered if he thought differently.

I was torn. I really didn't want to row the rest of the was to the Earth Kingdom, and I hated to see them disappointed, but I also didn't want to put them in any kind of danger. They really did seem like nice people.

"Fine," Auri gave in. "But only to the mainland." She tacked on firmly as she stood up in the boat. I watched her as she collected her things carefully so that nothing red or Fire Nation became exposed. "Just come on," she mouthed to me. It was hard to see with only the moonlight as an aid, but I caught her message.

I began collecting my things as well.

"Great! I'm Aang, and this is Katara and Sokka!" The youngest boy told us.

"I'm Ryuu and this is Auri." I replied, allowing Sokka to take my bags from me.


	4. Awkward Pauses

Awkward Pauses

My eyes fluttered open as someone shook me gently awake. I turned my head, squinting through my eyelashes to see Sokka above me.

"What?" I asked groggily, rubbing my eyes like a child.

"We're to the mainland. Auri said you have to get up." Sokka replied. He looked sort of sad. Or disappointed. Briefly, I wondered why.

I sat up. Luckily, I remembered to keep my cloak tight around me. I looked around to see that we were literally just on the mainland. Auri was being ridiculous; the shore was about twenty feet away.

All of my bags had already been taken off of Appa's saddle. Sokka helped me off of the flying bison. We came upon Aang and Katara trying to persuade Auri to stay with them.

"At least come with us to Omashu!" Katara begged. She pulled out the puppy dog eyes on Auri, but as I knew from experience, Auri was immune to them.

"We can't. I'm sorry, but we just can't go with you guys." Auri insisted. She had changed into a simple green dress and had the cloak on, but it was pushed behind her shoulders.

Aang and Katara heard me land when I stepped off Appa. They turned to me and began pleading for me to convince Auri to let us stay with them.

"Come on! You guys even said you had nowhere particular to go, so come with us!" Aang pouted, clutching my arm tightly. I crumbled under his big, gray eyes. My shoulders slumped and I turned my gaze to my best friend.

"Auri-" I started. Auri grabbed my free arm and pulled me from Aang's grasp.

"Ryuu, we can't stay with them. By now, people will have noticed we're gone. We would put them in danger!" Auri's voice was barely more than a breath as it hit my ear.

"That won't be a problem." A voice whispered between Auri and me. We froze, turning our heads to see Sokka, Aang, and Katara eavesdropping on our conversation. They were all leaning in with their hands behind their ears to hear our hushed conversation better.

"Yea, we're used to danger!" Aang added to Katara's statement. We stepped back, allowing them into our conversation. "We end up in dangerous situations all the time."

"I mean, Aang's the Avatar, so danger usually follows us wherever we go." Katara put in casually.

Aang was the Avatar? The one that both Zuko and Zhao were hunting?

Auri and I shared a look. What were we gonna do now?

"I... suppose we could accompany you three to Omashu." I said slowly. Auri nodded unsurely.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "You two are acting weird." He commented. I tried to smile innocently.

"Well, let's get your stuff back on Appa, then!" Katara stated, clapping her tan hands together.

"Wait! Could I get changed first?" I asked, moving to grab the bag with clothes. Almost instantly, all of my companions left so that I could change.

I sifted through Auri's bag, examining the clothes she had brought. I spotted a gorgeous green and white kimono that had a matching headband. It was almost like Auri had packed it with me in mind.

I unfastened the silver button on my cloak, folding it before I set it on top of my bags. I undressed quickly and folded my dress and set it on top of my cloak. I had a little trouble getting the kimono on, but was able to in the end. I pulled the ponytail holder out of my long hair and used my brush- gold with ornate designs- to brush out my hair. I slipped the headband on so that my side bangs were in front of it, and stuffed my red, discarded dress into the clothing bag.

"Alright!" I called out, cupping the side of my mouth with my hand. "I'm all dressed!"

Out of what seemed like nowhere, all four of them appeared.

Chatting, we tossed mine and Auri's stuff back onto Appa's saddle. Aang used his airbending to jump onto the bison's back- I watched in amazement. Katara and Auri helped each other clamber up the furry back.

Sokka held out his hand, blushing faintly, offering to help me up. I took his tan hand with my pale one, allowing him to pull me onto Appa's back.

"Ryuu, what are you wearing?" Katara asked when she noticed my outfit. I looked down at the obviously expensive kimono. I fingered one of the long sleeves, feeling the silky material.

"What about it?" I asked, not knowing what was wrong about it.

"Nothing's wrong with it!" Katara corrected hurriedly, worried she had offended me. "It's just really fancy."

"Ryuu comes from a rich family," Auri explained for me. "That kind of dress is casual for her." Huh. I hadn't realized the dress was "fancy".

"So, um, we should make it to Omashu in a few hours." Aang told us awkwardly, trying to change the subject.

Mom, whom I had met the night before, jumped into my lap. He chattered contentedly as I scratched behind his ears. He curled into a small ball, promptly falling asleep.

I leaned back, putting my weight on the edge of the saddle, thinking about home. Someone must have noticed I was gone by now. I wondered what they were doing about it. I wondered how Azula felt about my running away. I wondered how Father felt about it.

"-Okay?" I snapped from my thoughts to see Sokka sitting next to me, trying to talk to me.

"I'm sorry?" I apologized, asking him to repeat himself. He smiled at me.

"I was just checking if you were okay. You've been really quiet."

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "I'm fine. Just thinking about home." Everyone else was quiet after I said that. Auri looked kind of sad. So did Aang.

"We could take you home." Aang offered softly. I shook my head again, this time more frantically.

"No, no. I ran away for a reason!" I chuckled slightly, running a hand through my bangs. There was an awkward pause.

"Look!" Auri pointed in the distance. "That weird mountain over there; that's Omashu, isn't it?" We all looked I the direction Auri pointed in. There was a mountain in the distance that looked like giant steps went down the sides.

"Yea, it is!" Katara cried, leaning over the saddle to get a better look at the Earth Kingdom city.

"It's so beautiful," I murmured quietly, taking in how different it was from any Fire Nation city.

"Yea," Sokka agreed. I looked at him and smiled. We flew closer to the city, landing before the gate.


	5. The Charred Forest

The Charred Forest

I was lazily enjoying myself as Appa flew across the clear, blue sky. I hung on the side of Appa's saddle, watching the constant sea of green whiz underneath us. I furrowed my eyebrows when, instead of the green I expected, I saw gray. Black. The forest was charred.

"Oh my gosh," I breathed in horror. Auri looked over at me, concerned.

"What's wrong?" She asked, crawling to my side. I pointed down to the burnt forest.

"It's like a scar." I whispered, bottom lip quivering. Tears pricked at my eyes when I thought about how all those trees had once been animals' homes. It was sad.

Aang steered so that the bison landed in the middle of the black forest. He looked at all the dead trees, anger evident on his young face. He began ranting about it, but I didn't listen. I was on my knees, dirtying my nice kimono, sifting through the ashes. I knew that this was done by fire benders, and a stab of disgust hit me. I felt disgusted by myself for being a fire bender, too. To be capable of this kind of destruction.

"Are you, like, a plant lover, or something?" Sokka asked, crouching next to me. He poked me in the shoulder when I merely shook my head. I bit my lip and hugged myself tightly.

Auri, glaring at Sokka, walked over to us and hugged me. Sokka, affronted, was about to say something when Katara cut him off.

"Aang, Ryuu, I know what'll cheer you guys up!" Katara declared. Grinning, she chucked an acorn at Aang's head, hitting his blue arrow head on.

"Ow!" The bald monk cried, rubbing his head. I couldn't help but giggle. "How is that supposed to make me feel better?" He demanded grumpily.

"It made me feel better," Sokka offered.

"It's a seed, Aang." Auri explained, a smile dancing on her face. "One day it'll be a big tree. And, one day, the forest will grow back and all the animals will return." I smiled at that thought. One day, the animals will have their home back.

LINE

Before I knew it, Sokka had been taken by Hei-Bei, along with Aang. And I was worried sick.

Katara kept repeating, "He'll be okay,", but I think it was more for her benefit than mine. She looked just as scared and worried as I felt. I tried to smile encouragingly, as if I believed her, but I couldn't. Sokka had been abducted by a vicious spirit- how was I supposed to smile about that?

I kept to myself, avoiding Katara's assurances and Auri's questioning glances. I wondered if Auri had guessed as to why I was more worried about Sokka than Aang.

As if I read her mind, Auri found me as I pet Appa, cornering me. She asked the question I was hoping she wouldn't, but, luckily, I had an answer prepared.  
"Aang's the Avatar," I reminded her innocently. "I'm sure he can take care of himself." Auri stood straighter, still only 4' 9". She looked into my amber eyes with her gray ones.

"You don't think Sokka can take care of himself?" She asked skeptically. She smirked when I hesitated. "Come on, tell me why! I'm your best friend, aren't I?" She gave me the polar bear dog eyes.

"Isortahaveacrushonhim," I blurted, face turning a bright shade of pink.

"Aw! Your first crush!" She cooed before turning serious. "You know you could never be with him, though, right? Even if he did like you back."

My perfectly plucked eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Why not?"

Auri sighed sympathetically. "You're a princess, Ryuu. He's- well- he's a 'peasant'." She used her fingers to put quotes around the word "peasant". "Plus, he doesn't know you're a princess, let alone that you're Fire Nation! You two are too different, Ryuu."

My stomach sank deeper with every word she said. It was true. It was all true. I could never be with him., no matter what my or his feelings were.

I couldn't stop the tears from collecting in my eyes. I hadn't realized how much I liked him until now. And, now, I had to make sure my feelings stayed a secret.

LINE

I spent the rest of the day in a sort of depressed state. Katara thought I was just worrying even more, so she tried to cheer me up. Needless to say, she was unsuccessful.

That was when Auri ran up to us, panting heavily. "They're back! Everyone who was taken by Hei-Bei is back!" She led us to the front of the village, where Sokka and Aang were waiting for us. Katara tackled them both in hugs, and I hugged Aang.

I stepped back and Sokka pouted. "What, no hugs for me?" I bit my lip to hold back a smile and hugged him tightly, feeling as though my heart was being squeezed as well.


	6. The Crescent Island

The Crescent Island

My stomach dropped to my toes when Aang shared his news. "I have to go to an island in the Fire Nation to talk to Roku." Or something along those lines. I kind of zoned out. I looked over to Auri to see how she was taking this. She looked nervous, too, and I was glad that I wasn't alone.

We, Auri and I, couldn't go to any part of the Fire Nation! We were runaways, and there was no way I could go and not be recognized.

"I think I should go alone," Aang was saying while running his fingers through Appa's fur.

"Of course not!" Katara cried. "That's far too dangerous." Sokka nodded in agreement.

"The solstice is tomorrow and-" Aang tried.

"All the more reason for us to get going now." Sokka stated firmly. "You're not going alone." He looked over at me and Auri to back them up.

"Oh! Um, yea," Auri agreed. "We'll go with you, too." She put the last nail in the coffin. Now, we had no choice but to go.

"Ecuse us one moment, please." I grabbed a handful of Auri's hair and dragged her out of earshot. "What are you thinking? We can't go to the Fire Nation!" I hissed.

"I know," Auri responded helplessly. "I didn't know what to say."

"We have to go with them, now." I told her. She made an unhappy noise, acknowledging that I was right.

"We'll just have to lay low. You can wear your cloak over your face." Auri decided. I, personally, didn't think that would be enough, but I didn't voice my thought.

Aang strolled over to where we were standing. "We're gonna leave after we get some supplies." He paused, observing our nervous faces. "You guys don't have to go. It _is _really dangerous."

"That's why we have to go." I insisted, stupidly, I didn't take the out he had just given us. Aang smiled, relieved.

"Well, then, let's go!"

LINE

I think I may be the only person who has simultaneously had her own subjects _and _her older brother attempt to keep her form returning home via barricade and fire balls. There was nothing I could do except pull the hood of my emerald green cloak lower over my face and wit for Appa to successfully carry us across.

Everyone cheered when we cleared the barricade. I peeked over the edge of Appa's saddle to see if Zuko had gotten past, but I couldn't tell from all the smoke.

"Okay, now we just need to find the crescent island." Katara annonced. Feeling safer, I sat up and helped look for it. I felt an arm rest on my shoulders and I looked up to see Sokka scanning the water, his tan face slightly red.

"You cold?" He asked, referring to the cloak. I blushed, about to tell his "yes" in order to keep his arm there, but then I remembered the conversation between me and Auri. I shook my head and gently shrugged his arm off. I couldn't force myself to look at his face, guilt bubbling in my stomach. I concentrated even harder on finding the island. Sokka shuffled away from me, and I felt even worse.

"Over there!" Aang cried, steering the tired bison to the shore of the island. As soon as we climbed off of him- Auri helping me down- Appa rolled on his back to rest. Aang patted his head. "Get some rest, buddy." Appa replied with an earth shaking snore.

I took a deep breath, tugged the hood lower on my face, and followed the others inside the temple. Auri walked next to me, shielding her face, as well. She may not be a princess, but her father was an important general, so it was a big deal that she ran away, too.

We entered the temple easily enough, only to run into the Fire Sages.

"Who are you?" The leader demanded.

"Who are you?" Aang countered, trying to dodge the question.

"We are the Fire Sages. We have worked here, serving Avatar Roku, and awaiting for the next Avatar to return." Another sage piped up. The leader glowered at him. I lifted my head to look at them, and the leader's eyes widened with recognition. Frantically, I waved my hands at my neck to signal for him to keep his mouth shut. My hood fell back, and I kept silently begging them to not say anything as, one by one, they realized who I was. Lucky for me, they listened.

"Oh, well, I'm the Avatar, so it's all good!" Aang replied, inching to the left as he tried to make his way around them.

"We have waited one hundred years for you, Young Avatar. I fear you're too late. Get them!" The leader cried. We bolted down a hallway, running from them.

My cloak flapped behind me as I ran, causing me to nearly trip several times. We ran down random halls until we heard a single voice calling behind us.

"Please! Please, I want to help you!"

We had reached a dead end. Whoever it was, they had us. I turned and watched as a lone Sage, elderly and panting heavily, finally caught up to us.

"Please," he wheezed. "I want to help you." He caught his breath and stood straight. He pulled one of the lamps on the wall down, opening a hidden passageway. He ushered us inside quickly.

"Why are you helping us?" Katara asked suspiciously. The Sage sighed.

"It was once out duty to serve the Avatar." He paused a moment. "It is still our duty." He eyed me, seeming to silently tack on that he wouldn't go against a member of the royal family.

"Thank you." I said, double meaning evident. He nodded shortly.

LINE

Yes! Aang made it inside just in time to speak with Roku. Our- Sokka and Katara's- plan had worked.

"Well, well, well." A sleazy voice broke through my cheers. I turned to see Zhao approaching me, clapping sarcastically. "What do we have here?" I saw that Sokka, Katara, and Auri we being tied to a pillar, mouths covered by cloth. I was surprised to see that Zuko was being tied to another one.

"Let them go, Zhao." I tried my hardest to be firm, but my voice shook. Blood pounded in my ears. My heart thudded loudly in my chest. My cover was about to be blown.

"Now, why would I do that?" He drawled, smirking down at me. Teasing me. Daring me.

"How dare you!" Zuko snarled, straining against his ropes. His mouth gag hung around his neck. "She's-!" I held up a hand, asking him to shut up.

"By order of the youngest child of Ozai and Ursa, princess of the Fire Nation, I, Princess Ryuu, demand that you untie them _all_."

"Princess?!" Sokka and Katara had managed to get their gags off of their mouths. Zhao waved at his men, who were already untying them. I smirked slightly; my orders outranked his.

"Do you realize what you're doing?" Zhao asked, growing red in the face. "You're helping the Avatar, and the banished prince! Traitor!" A collective gasp filled the room at Zhao's blatant disrespect for his princess.

"I'm _not _a traitor," I insisted, brain thinking quickly to come up with a decent lie. I so _was _a traitor, but I couldn't let everyone think I was. Father would hate me, and so would Zuko. "Come closer."

Zhao bent over so that I could whisper my "plan" in his ear. I was literally pulling everything out of by butt, but somehow he bought it.

"Brilliant," he breathed, stepping back to bow low to me. "I beg you to forgive my disrespect." I nodded curtly, grinding my teeth together. I refused to look at my friends.

"Return to the palace and explain my plan to my father." I ordered, voice faltering. I wasn't usually this assertive. "Make sure everyone knows where my loyalties lie."

"Yes, princess."


End file.
